The Hope I Had Left
by thebraveslytherin
Summary: Oneshot. Skulduggery had already suffered the loss of his only daughter, now he had to deal with the loss of the closest thing he had to one. Sort of dark fic.


**A/N This fic is kind of dark. It's set two years from The Faceless Ones, but contains spoilers from Death Bringer. Hope you enjoy this oneshot, and yes it will only be a one shot because I have nowhere else to go with it after this.**

Skulduggery sat in his living room, hands over his skeletal face. Valkyrie was gone. That damned portal had brought her in, and it was all his fault. If only he was in her place. He had tried, tried so hard to find her. It had been two years since she was sucked into the portal with the Faceless Ones. He hadn't stopped until he found her. But during yesterday's attempt, Fletcher saw into the portal, from his mind. He saw the body of a dark-haired girl in all black clothes, blood all over her. Valkyrie had been _so_ close to the entrance, even if she didn't know it.

She had reminded him of his daughter. Sweet, fiery Eliza. He treated Valkyrie like a daughter, and he knew that he had come to love her like one too. A soft knock came from the door. Skulduggery sat up straighter on the couch.

"Come in." he said, his velvety voice devoid of any emotion. The muscular form of Tanith Low stepped into view.

"Hi, Skulduggery." She was devastated when Fletcher told her. So was he. "I- I'm sorry. I know how much she meant to you, and- Oh god, she's really gone isn't she?" Tanith collapsed into the couch, next to Skulduggery. Tears started to fall down her face, dripping off her chin. Skulduggery put an arm around her, and she pulled into his bony figure, hugging him tightly. They sat there for a while, the two of them holding onto each other like they were the only things left. Realising what she was doing, Tanith sat up.

"Sorry, I- I don't know what happened. Sorry." She wiped the tears out of her eyes, and walked towards the door.

Skulduggery looked up at her as she left, curly blond hair swaying with her movements. "It's fine." he whispered.

Tanith nodded softly. She then realised something. "It's probably not the best time, but have you told her parents? I mean, I know they have the reflection and all, but they should know."

"I hadn't even thought about it. Thank you, I'll do that soon."

The door clicked shut behind her and the room was silent. Now Skulduggery had to figure out a way to tell Valkyrie's parents that their beloved daughter had died. He sighed heavily. Skulduggery wished he had skin and flesh so he could close his eyes.

 _Flashback_

" _Hit it!" Skulduggery shouted. "Somebody hit it!"_

 _Ghastly tried to throw fireballs at it, but tentacles flew from its chest and knocked him backwards. Internal organs and entrails came from it. It was a last attempt to kill its enemies. The Faceless One fell to its knees. Valkyrie was at its feet, trying to inflict some damage._

" _Fletcher! Open it up! Get this one back!" Skulduggery roared._

 _With a fast nod, Fletcher returned to his position, and closed his eyes. The portal opened, just large enough for the Faceless One. It started to suck the creature back, but it was taking Valkyrie with it._

" _VALKYRIE_! _Valkyrie_ move _!_ _Come on, Valkyrie!"_

 _But he couldn't do anything. She just looked into Skulduggery's eye sockets with a look of fear, and the portal swallowed both the Faceless One and her._

" _Fletcher, open the portal! FLETCHER RENN, OPEN THE GODDAMN PORTAL."_

" _I- I can't. There's no Grotesquery. I'm sorry."_

 _Skulduggery looked at Ghastly. "She's gone, Skulduggery." His friend had a look of sadness written on his face._

 _He nodded. Skulduggery picked his destroyed hat, and placed it on his head. Without a word, he started towards the Bentley. He was going to find her. Even if it killed him a thousand times._

 _End Flashback_

The Edgley's home was nice. Mrs Edgley was sitting on the couch, watching a reality show. Mr Edgley was right beside her, criticizing how fake it all was. Their daughter, Stephanie, was away with a friend.

"I mean, come _on_. Who slaps someone because they finished the cereal?"

"Desmond, it's supposed to be really dramatic, for entertainment. Now shut up and let me listen."

"Shouldn't they call it unrealistic television? See that makes sense!"

"Shush! I'm trying to listen." A knock sounded on the door. "I'll get it." Melissa Edgley walked past her husband, and went to open the front door. A strange man stood in front of her. He had a dark suit on and a large, very stylish hat. Although it was a very hot day, he was wearing gloves and a scarf. Oddly, he had very large pair of sunglasses on his face. But the strangest part was, she recognised this man. He was a friend of Gordon's; they had seen him at his funeral.

"Hi, how can I help you."

His voice was smooth and baritone. "My name's Skulduggery Pleasant. I'm here to talk to you about your daughter, Stephanie."

Her breath caught. Was something wrong? Had she gotten hurt? Melissa took in a deep breath. She was probably overreacting, as always. "Oh?"

"Yes, I was wondering if I could come inside?"

That was odd. But she answered anyway. "Oh. alright. Come in." She stepped out of the way so he could enter. "Darling," she called to Desmond. "Honey, we've got a visitor."

"Really? Is it someone from the phone company? I told them, I paid those bills!"

"No honey, it's not the phone company." Melissa turned to their visitor. "Here, come into the living room."

Mr Pleasant sat down on an armchair near Desmond. He nodded in greeting. "Mr Edgely."

"Who are you? I've seen you before."

"Desmond!" cried Melissa, "Be polite."

"Don't worry, it's alright. I'm a friend of Gordon, your brother, if I am correct."

Mr Edgley nodded. "Why are you here, Mr…"

"Pleasant. I'm afraid I bring bad news, about your daughter Stephanie."

Melissa gasped. Desmond's face grew pale. Mr Pleasant continued.

"She has been involved in an accident. Stephanie was playing with a few of her friends by the pier when she slipped. Her friends tried to help, but she had cut herself badly, and couldn't swim to the surface. After a while she- she drowned. We haven't found the body yet, but we're trying. I- I'm sorry."

By the end of his explanation, Melissa was in tears, sobbing on her husband's shoulder. Desmond looked so pale that he might pass out, and was staring at the wall, as if she would burst out from it and say it was all a joke. But it wasn't.

"Oh, my Stephanie, my baby!" Melissa wailed, her head in her hands.

"I truly am very sorry, Mr and Mrs Edgley. I will leave you to your mourning."

Desmond nodded, still staring at the wall. Mr Pleasant left the room, and closed their front door softly behind him. He hated doing that, lying to them about their daughter's death, he hated it so much. Skulduggery walked over to the Bentley and drove home.

-o0o-

Skulduggery sat in her room, the one he created for her. He looked around at some of her things. She didn't have much. Just some clothes messily thrown on the floor. A lamp and a watch on the bedside table. A range of bottles on her dresser. He felt the anger bubble up inside him.

Why _her_. There were so many people out there who did bad things, who killed people, but it had to be her. The one who did good things. The one who _fought_ the bad people. But somewhere deep down he knew. He knew that it was whatever force controls fate. They knew how evil and how twisted he was inside, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, hide his Vile side, no matter how hard he tried to redeem himself, that force knew that he didn't deserve someone like her. Someone so kind, whole, someone who he had loved.

Skulduggery couldn't handle it. All of this, all of _her._ He pushed the lamp and watch off her bedside table and they fell with a smash. He flung the covers off her bed, and threw the pillows across the room. He smashed each and every bottle on the floor individually. Skulduggery sent air hurtling towards the full length mirror that sat in the corner and it smashed into millions of pieces. Breathing heavily, he sat back down on her bed and looked at the mess he created. Kenspeckle was right. Everything in his wake was destroyed. He was corrupted because of his past, because of his secret. Skulduggery left Valkyrie's room, and knew he had to do something, anything. He needed to find someone who was involved in the returning Faceless Ones two years ago, and he needed to stop them, get rid of them.

-o0o-

"Hey."

Skulduggery looked into those dark eyes he knew so well. It couldn't be. "V- Valkyrie?"

"Mmhmm. It's me." She ran into his arms and hugged him.

"But you- Fletcher saw your body!"

"Do I look dead to you?" She took his hand and placed it on her chest, near her heart. A soft beat pulsated underneath it. "See? Not dead." Valkyrie plastered a huge grin on her face. "Miss me?"

"I guess. It was nice to have peace and quiet in my house though." Skulduggery teased.

Valkyrie playfully punched him on the shoulder. "You're such a jerk."

"Really? _I_ think I'm quite the gentleman, actually."

"Of course you do."

Suddenly, a dark figure with no facial features snarled at them from the doorway. Skulduggery reached for his gun, but found he didn't have it on him. Instead, he conjured a fireball and threw it at the creatures face. It did nothing but anger it more. "Well that didn't work," muttered Skulduggery under his breath.

The thing moved forward, towards Valkyrie. She pushed the air, but it moved sideways.

"Valkyrie, move!" Skulduggery felt a pang of déjà vu. She ran, but the creature was too fast. Skulduggery tried to knock it over with a blast of air, but it just went straight through it. The thing sunk its claws into Valkyrie, and she cried out.

"Skulduggery! Skulduggery help!"

He ran towards her, not wanting to lose her a second time. But just as he was about to get to her, he felt a hard wall in front of him. Skulduggery rammed his shoulder into it, but it wouldn't break. He threw fireball and fireball again, but it nothing happened. Valkyrie kept screaming his name again and again, and he felt useless. If he had a heart, it would be breaking. He just got her back, and now she was leaving him. He was going to hunt that creature down, and kill it slowly and painfully. He started ramming his fists against the invisible wall. She was still screaming his name, blood pouring from her many wounds. He couldn't look, he wouldn't watch her be in so much pain when he could do nothing.

"I'm sorry." He whispered to her, though he wasn't sure she heard him. He turned his back on Valkyrie and the creature and stood there waiting, waiting for the screams to stop, so he could capture that thing and lead it to its excruciating death.

Skulduggery heard a voice in the distance, someone else calling his name. It sounded like Ghastly. He didn't want to leave the creature, so it wouldn't escape. Skulduggery stood there, torn between going to Ghastly, or staying by Valkyrie.

But before he could do either, black spots appeared in his vision. He staggered, trying to stay up. Ghastly was still calling his name, so was Valkyrie, but they sounded quieter, as if from the other end of a tunnel. Skulduggery felt the floor beneath his body, and saw the world tilt behind the black spots, which were growing bigger and bigger. When he couldn't see anymore, he heard quiet, nothing. Was he dying? Well that would be better. If he could join his family and live in peace, as he had wanted to for hundreds of years.

He let it, let himself slip away in the darkness, let himself be carried away.

~~~~~~  
"Skulduggery! Skulduggery please!"

Ghastly was standing beside an unconscious Skulduggery Pleasant.

"What- what happened." Tanith was standing right behind him, a worried look etched onto her face.

"I'm not sure. I came upstairs to hear him screaming Valkyrie's name, and I've tried to do something, but he hasn't moved in ages, and he's been silent for a while." Ghastly turned to the skeleton at his side. "Goddammit Skulduggery Pleasant, I didn't come back from that giant rock to see you die! Wake up, you miserable man!"

He stirred slightly from the floor, his body moving ever so slightly. Suddenly he sat straight up, looking around feverishly, then jumped up and glared around the room.

"Where's that monster." He snarled.

"Wha- what the hell are you talking about?"

"That thing that took Valkyrie!"

"Skulduggery, mate, there's been no monster here, and you know Valkyrie's been dead for over twenty-four hours."

"I- I know but I saw her! She was right there, she pressed my hand to her heart, and I heard a beat!" realisation dawned on him. "I was dreaming, wasn't I? But I'm not supposed to be able to sleep, let alone dream. Oh jeez, what the hell?" Skulduggery put his head in his hands.

Tanith had tears in her eyes, and Ghastly was looking at him in slight confusion.

"She's gone for good isn't she?"

"Yeah, I- I'm afraid she is."

Skulduggery stood up and walked out of the room, out of the house and into the street. He just kept walking and walking, until he reached a small part of a park nearby. Skulduggery sat down and looked at the ground. He had a job to do. A job to do. He had a job to do. He sat there, chanting this inside his head, rocking back and forth cross-legged on the ground.

He had a job to do, and this time he wasn't going to fail.


End file.
